Film showing to aid local park, research

November 14, 2009 12:00AM

The Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation (HHPR) and the HHPR Club at Pittsburg State University will sponsor a screening of the film "Darius Goes West: The Role of his Life" at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16, in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom of the Overman Student Center. An admission donation of $5 for adults and $4 for students is requested to raise funds for the Everybody Plays playground project in Pittsburg and for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) research.

"Darius Goes West" tells the story of 15-year-old Darius Weems, of Athens, Ga., who was born with DMD, the most common fatal genetic disorder to affect children worldwide.

As Darius' disease progressed, a group of his college-age friends decided to take the young man on a three-week, cross-country journey to the West Coast. They filmed the 7,000-mile journey, on which they stopped at major tourist attractions and held press conferences to raise awareness of DMD. That film became a movie, capturing 28 film festival awards in 2007.

For more information, contact Dr. Chuck Killingsworth, a professor in PSU's Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, at 620-235-4670.